STEPHEN  tORREY 


A  MEMORIAL 


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PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


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In  Memoriam 


V 


REV.  STEPHEN  TORREY 


A  DISCOUKSE 


THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 

HONESDALE,  PA. 
BY 

y    ■ 

The  Pastor,  Rev.  W.  H.  Swift 

AT  THE  MOBNING  SERVICE 


CAZENOVIA,  N.Y: 

PRESS   OF    W.   J.    HUTCHINSON 

1890. 


"  Tudlight  and  evening  bell 
And  after  that  the  da/rh^ 
And  may  there  he  no  sad  farewell 
When  I  eniha/rk  ! 

'■'■  For  though  from  out  our  hou/rne 
of  Tvme  and  Place 
The  flood  should  hea/r  me  fm% 
I  hope  to  meet  my  Pilot  face  to  face 
When  I  hwve  crossed  the,  bary 


INTRODUCTORY, 


Mr.  Stephen  Torrey's  long  and  influential  connection 
with  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Honesdale,  led,  after 
his  death,  to  the  appropriating  of  the  Sunday  morning 
service  of  December  15th,  1889,  as  a  service  memorial 
of  him.  On  that  morning  was  delivered  the  memorial 
sermon  which  constitutes  the  substance  of  this  little 
book. 


When  good  men  die  they  are  not  altogether  lost  to 
us.  Their  memoiy  and  theii'  influence  remain,  and  they 
thus  bequeath  themselves  to  the  chui'ch  and  are  a  part 
of  its  heritage. 

The  Scripture  says  to  Christians:  "All  things  are 
yours ;  whether  Paul  or  Apollos  or  Cephas,  all  are 
youi'S."  That  is  to  say,  all  good  men  belong  to  us,  even 
when  they  are  gone  from  our  sight.  We  have  a  certain 
property  in  them.  We,  at  this  day,  are  the  richer  for  the 
holy  zeal  and  Christian  heroism  of  the  apostle  Paul, 
and,  to  this  extent,  he  is  ours  and  cannot  be  taken  from 
us. 

And  so,  when  a  good  man  dies  from  among  us,  after 
a  while — after  the  fii-st  bewildering  sense  of  loss  is 
over — we  have  a  "memorial  service." 

What  is  the  object   and   meaning  of  it  ?     It  is  not  a 

(1.) 


n.  INTR  OD  UCTOR  Y. 

funeral  service  this  time,  nor  a  burial  service.  Ratlier 
it  is  a  sort  of  resurrection  seMce.  He  that  seemed  to  us 
to  be  dead  is  recognized  to  be  living. 

And  so,  at  the  memorial  service  v^e  think  and  speak, 
not  of  the  good  man's  death,  but  of  his  life — contem- 
plating his  excellences,  summing  up  his  achievements, 
computing  his  worth.  And  thus,  while  doing  honor  to 
his  memory,  we  are,  at  the  same  time,  measuring,  as 
best  we  can,  the  value  of  what  he  has  left  to  us — esti- 
mating the  worth  of  our  ownership  in  him,  and  thus 
also  recognizing  the  fact  that  a  good  man's  memory 
will  be  honorable  in  proportion  as  he  has  bequeathed 
treasures  of  good  influence  and  good  example  to  those 
who  survive  him. 

Mr.  Torrey  has  left  us  such  a  legacy.  We  come  in 
this  service  to  probate  it,  and,  in  a  sense,  to  take  pos- 
session of  it.  We  are  his  heii^s  in  the  broad  kinship 
of  the  Christian  family — "the  household  of  faith." 
And  it  is  characteristic  of  this  heritage,  as  of  all  spirit- 
ual riches,  that  the  administering  of  much  to  some  of 
the  heirs  leaves  none  the  less  to  others.  We  are  all  re- 
siduary legatees,  so  that  each  one  may  receive  all  that 
has  been  bequeathed. 

To  impart  this  benefit  to  us  is  the  design  and  aim  of 
the  discourse  which  will  be  found  on  the  following  pages. 


The  Sermojnt. 


"7i!  is  a  becoming  service  to  embalm  the  m,em,ory  of  those  whose 
lives  have  enriched  the  world  in  virtue  and  truth." 


InM 


EMORIAM. 


Rev.  Stephen  Torrey. 


''''  For^e  was  a  good  man^  and  full  of  the  Hol/y  Gho8t 
and  of  faith  ;  and  much  people  were  added  unto  the 
Lordy — Acts  xi :  24. 

BIOGRAPHY  is  usually  interesting,  and  always,  if 
a  correct  portraiture  of  character,  instructive. 

"History,"  some  one  says,  "is  a  statement  of  the 
progress  of  a  nation  or  an  institution,  with  philosophi- 
cal enquiries  respecting  effects  and  causes." 

But  all  history  arranges  itself  about  individuals,  and 
can  be  understood  only  as  we  know  something  about 
the  men  who  made  the  history.  Leave  out  the  individ- 
uality of  Patriach,  Prophet,  and  Apostle,  and  what  re- 
mains of  Scripture  history? 

Biography  is  a  living  commentaiy  on  historic  truth — 
a  concrete  illustration  thereof — and  so  its  study  be- 
comes,   not  only  desirable,  but  necessary,  if  our  enquir- 

1 


2  IN  MEMOBIAM. 

ies  respecting  causes  and  effects  in  history  are  to  be 
philosophical. 

We  can  read  correctly  the  life  of  an  individual — 
appreciate  it  only  as  we  discover  the  environments  un- 
der the  pressure  of,  or  resisting  which,  the  character  was 
formed.  No  life  reveals  itself  to  us  so  that  we  can  fully 
grasp  the  lessons  it  teaches  till  we  can  trace  the  trend 
of  its  fii'st  twenty  years. 

I  could  wish,  therefore,  that  some  other  person,  some 
one  acquainted  with  Stephen  Ton-ey  from  his  youth, 
had  undertaken  the  pleasant  task  assigned  to  me  this 
morning.  I  enter  upon  it  with  diffidence,  conscious  of  no 
special  fitness  for  it  save  that  inspired  by  an  intimate 
acquaintance  with  Mr.  Torrey  in  his  later  years ;  a  true 
appreciation  of  the  worth  of  his  life ;  admiration  of  his 
character  and  loyalty  to  his  memory. 

*  45- 

Stephen  Toreey,  the  seventh  of  eleven  children,  and 
fifth  of  nine  sons,  the  oldest  and  youngest  of  whom 
were  Christian  ministers,  was  bom  in  Bethany,  Wayne 
County,  Pa.,  Nov.  9th,  1808.  His  father  was  Jason 
Torrey,  who  was  born  in  Williamstown,  Mass.,  June 
30th,  1772,  and  removed  to  Wayne  County,  Pa.,  fif- 
teen years  before  the  birth  of  Stephen.  His  mother, 
Lois  Welch,  was  also  of  New  England  parentage  and 
birth.  She  was  an  earnest  Christian  woman,  and  died 
in  1813,  leaving  this  boy  motherless  before  he  was  five 
years  of  age. 

Owing  to  much  necessary  absence  of  his  father  from 


REV.  STEPHEN  TORRET.  g| 

home,  his  instruction,  for  a  time,  was  largely  left  to 
housekeepers,  some  of  whom,  at  least,  did  not  claim  to 
be  Christian  women  By  the  second  marriage  of  his 
father,  when  Stephen  was  in  his  eighth  year,  he  came 
under  the  instraction  and  influence  of  one  who  was  em- 
inently a  gifted  and  devoted  Christian  woman,  Mrs. 
Achsah,  the  widow  of  Kev.  Whiting  Griswold,  a  Pres- 
byteiian  minister. 

She,  too,  was  of  New  England  origin,  trained  to 
observe  New  England  customs  in  religious  matters,  and 
soon  after  coming  into  the  family  she  began  the  sys- 
tematic instruction  of  the  childi'en  in  that  matchless 
compendium  of  Scripture  truth,  the  Westminster  Short- 
er Catechism.  The  lucid  questions  and  answers  of  this 
book  were  finnly  imbedded  in  Stephen's  memory,  and 
helped  to  develop  a  staunch,  Calvinistic  type  of  relig- 
ious convictions  and  character,  and  also  made  him  an 
enthusiastic  admii^er  of  the  Catechism,  and  an  earnest 
advocate  of  its  use  in  the  family  and  Sabbath  school  as 
a  powerful  moulding  influence  in  training  the  young. 

When  Stephen  was  ten  years  old,  a  Sabbath  school 
was  started  in  Bethany,  one  of  the  first  in  the  State, 
possibly,  north  of  Philadelphia.  'J'he  "  Order  of  Exer- 
cises" was  not  elaborate,  but  consisted  mainly,  as  Mr. 
Torrey  delighted,  in  the  closing  years  of  his  life,  to 
relate,  in  the  recitation  of  Scripture  committed  to  mem- 
ory by  the  pupils.  During  the  few  years  he  was  in 
Sabbath  school,  he  committed  and  recited  nearly  all 
of  the  New  Testament,  and  down  to  the  close  of  his  life 


4  IN  MEMORIAM. 

could  accurately  repeat  almost  any  passage  of  Scrip- 
ture suggested  to  him. 

In  June,  1820,  in  his  twelfth  year,  sixty-nine  years 
before  his  death,  he  was  hopefully  converted,  and  in 
July  of  that  year  united  with  the  Presbyterian  church 
of  Bethany.  He  immediately  began  to  take  an  active 
part  in  religious  meetings,  encom^aged  so  to  do  by  his 
Sabbath  school  teacher,  Mi\  Sheldon  Norton,  who  at 
the  time  was  Prothonatary  of  the  county.  A  few 
months  after  the  boy  had  publicly  consecrated  himself 
to  the  Christian  service,  Mr.  Norton  called  on  him  to 
lead  in  prayer  at  a  public  meeting.  It  was  Sabbath 
evening,  and  the  Court  House,  in  which  revival  meet- 
ings were  being  held,  was  densely  filled.  Whatever 
feelings  of  timidity  or  reluctance  the  boy  might  have 
had  he  did  not  hesitate,  but  through  the  grace  which 
God  gave  him,  rose  to  his  feet  and  poured  out  his  heart 
in  a  prayer  which  left  upon  the  memory  of  persons 
present  that  evening,  an  ineffacable  impression.  It  was 
a  foregleam  of  that  power  in  prayer  which  has  marked 
his  entire  Christian  life,  a  gift  from  God  which  was 
kept  bright  by  constant  use. 

His  education  began  at  home.  He  was  early  trained 
to  habits  of  industry,  economy,  and  usefulness.  Vaca- 
tion did  not  mean  idleness ;  it  meant  the  rest  that  comes 
from  change  of  work,  and  he  never  knew  how  to  rest 
in  any  other  way. 

His  ambition  kept  pace  with  his  opportunity.  An 
inward  energy  stimulated  him  to  meet  every  demand 


REV.  STEPHEN  TOREEY.  5 

that  duty  laid  upon  him.  The  keynote  of  his  young 
hfe,  as  of  his  matui'e  years,  was  faithfulness. 

Between  the  ages  of  eight  and  eighteen  we  find  him, 
a  part  of  each  year,  enjoying  the  advantages  of  school- 
life  in  Bethany  and  Harford,  training  his  intellectual 
powers  for  a  career  that  would  task  all  the  talents  God 
had  given  him. 

In  182 6  his  father  began  to  cleai'  the  land  where 
Honesdale  now  stands,  and  Stephen  was  his  right-hand 
man,  keeping  the  accounts,  and,  when  not  thus  engaged, 
swinging  the  axe  by  the  side  of  the  men,  doing  his  full 
share  of  manual  labor,  as  he  delighted  to  do  down  to 
the  close  of  his  life. 

The  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Honesdale  was  or- 
ganized February  11th,  1829.  Mr.  Torrey  was  one  of 
its  nine  charter  members,  and  though  but  twenty  years 
of  age,  one  of  its  first  Buling  Elders. 

His  life,  from  1824  imtil  1872,  furnishes  a  chapter 
in  his  history  that  is  worthy  to  be  carefully  read,  earn- 
estly marked,  and  widely  imitated  by  the  laymen  of 
oui'  churches.  At  the  early  age  of  sixteen,  Stephen  is 
Superintendent  of  a  Sabbath-school  at  the  old  Glass 
Factory,  a  mile  or  more  west  of  Bethany.  Next  we  find 
him  doing  similar  and  more  advanced  work  in  Promp- 
ton,  fom-  miles  west  of  Honesdale,  laying  the  founda- 
tion of  a  church.  So  consuming  is  his  zeal  that,  in  his 
earlier  life,  he  is  not  content  to  work  in  one  field  only, 
the  necessity  of  other  fields  appealing  successfully  to 
his  large  heart  and  untiring  courage.     It  was  his  habit, 


6  IN  ME3T0RIAM. 

when  he  began  his  missionary  woi'k,  to  attend  the  ser- 
vices of  his  own  church  in  the  morning,  and  when  the 
church  was  without  a  pastor,  he  frequently  read  the 
seiTQon.  Then  he  would  drive  to  the  "  Smith  Settle- 
ment," now  Berlin  township,  where  he  held  a  Sabbath- 
school  ;  then  to  Paupack,  now  Hawley,  where  he  had 
another  Sabbath-school;  then  hold  another  Sabbath- 
school,  or  preach  in  a  school  house  on  his  way  home. 
In  an  interesting  article  written  by  him  at  the  request 
of  Rev.  Dr.  Kendall,  and  published  in  Tlie  Church  at 
Home  and  Abroad^  of  March,  1889,  he  says:  "In  these 
days  of  pioneer  Sabbath-school  work,  when  we  had  no 
'helps 'but  the  Bible,  much  more  prominence  was  given 
to  committing  the  Scriptures  to  memory  than  is  custom- 
ary in  these  advanced  days  in  Sabbath-school  work. 
Now,  the  best  available  talent  of  the  Church  is  called 
into  requisition  to  provide  helps  for  Sabbath-schools 
and  Sabbath-school  workers.  Then,  after  the  recita- 
tions of  Scripture,  as  a  general  rule,  I  took  the  whole 
school  in  hand  and  gave  such  exposition  of  the  lesson, 
and  practical  instructions  from  it,  as  I  was  able  to  give. 
This  method  of  working,  with  variations  to  conform  to 
the  changes  of  circumstances  in  different  neighborhoods, 
was  continued  for  a  considerable  number  of  years,  dur- 
ing which  time,  I  extended  my  work  into  several 
remote  neighborhoods,  where  no  stated  means  of  grace 
had  ever  been  introduced.  For,  at  that  period  this 
section  of  Pennsylvania  was  as  emphatically  Tnissiona/ry 


BEV.  STEPHEN  TORRE Y.  7 

ground  as  is  any  portion  of  our  Western  countiy  at 
this  day. 

"  These  Sabbath-school  services  led  to  the  introduction 
of  prayer  meetings  in  some  of  these  neighborhoods, 
where,  for  a  while,  we  had  two  or  three  persons  to  par- 
ticipate in  the  services.  But  from  removals  or  other 
causes  this  help  gradually  failed,  and  the  responsibility 
of  conducting  the  services  devolved  upon  me  alone. 
For  more  than  twenty  years  I  maintained  my  Sabbath 
evening  services  in  different  neighborhoods,  till  my  in- 
creasing business  responsibilities,  at  remote  distances 
from  home,  rendered  it  impracticable  for  me  to  main- 
tain them  longer,  and  I  passed  them  over  into  other 
hands.  Several  church  organizations,  where  the  preach- 
ing of  the  gospel  is  now  regularly  maintained,  and 
where  commodious  church  edifices  have  been  built  and 
paid  for,  had  theii'  origin  in  this  pioneer  Sabbath-school 
work.  As  to  the  number  of  schools  in  maintaining 
which  I  have  been  directly  interested,  about  which  you 
make  inquiry,  I  cannot  answer  definitely ;  but  I  had 
more  or  less  to  do  with  some  twelve  to  fifteen  schools, 
some  of  which  remained  on  my  hands  only  a  limited 
time,  while  the  responsible  care  of  others  devolved 
upon  me  for  a  considerable  number  of  years.  I  was  en- 
gaged in  this  work  for  about  forty-five  years,  and  until 
I  entered  upon  my  presbyterial  missionaiy  work,  more 
than  sixteen  years  since." 

What  a  record  that  of   missionary   zeal  and  contin- 
uous devotion  to  the  cause   of    Christ  !     How  shaiply 


8  IN  MEMORIAM. 

and  painfully  it  contrasts  with  the  easy-going  life  of 
too  many  members  of  our  churches  !  One  can  but  won- 
der what  the  results  might  be,  in  a  very  few  years,  if, 
in  all  ^ur  churches  were  found  a  few  men  and  women 
whose  hearts  were  fired  with  the  same  self-sacrificins: 
love.     May  God's  Spirit  baptize  us  all/o/"  service  ! 

So  successful  was  Mr.  Torrey  in  this  foundation 
work  that,  at  the  age  of  thirty,  he  resolved  to  study  for 
the  gospel  ministry,  and  next  we  find  him  at  Harford 
Academy,  pouring  over  Latin  and  Greek  with  all  the 
earnestness  of  an  aroused  soul.  A  year  or  two,  how- 
ever, to  his  great  regret,  demonsti'ated  the  fact  that  his 
health  would  not  admit  of  his  pursuing  the  life  of  a 
student,  and  he  reluctantly  returned  home. 

Here  he  entered  with  characteristic  energy  the  office 
of  his  brother  John,  then  a  land-agent,  and  so  earnestly 
did  he  devote  himself  to  the  practical  mastery  of  sm-- 
veying  that  he  became,  it  is  said,  one  of  the  most 
accurate  surveyors  in  north-eastern  Pennsylvania.  This 
led  to  his  accepting  an  important  position  in  the  land- 
office  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company, 
which  took  him  to  Carbondale,  So  interested  had  he 
become,  however,  in  his  missionary  work  in  Wayne 
county,  that  he  drove  to  Honesdale — sixteen  miles — ev- 
ery Saturday  afternoon  or  evening;  superintended  a 
Sabbath -school  the  next  day,  and  taught  a  Bible  class ; 
then  preached  in  the  evening  to  a  full  congregation. 
This  sermon,  or  address,  was  of  the  nature  of  an  expos- 
itory discourse,    and  always  the  result  of  cai*eful  study 


REV.  STEPHEN  TORRE Y.  9 

and  profound  tliouglit.  Says  one :  "In  my  correspon- 
dence witli  him,  year  after  year,  his  letters  indicated 
always  a  paramount  interest  in  his  parishes  and  his 
Christian  work.  While  he  was  always  faithful  to  his 
secular  business ;  always  thorough  and  successful  in  it, 
he  had  a  supreme  interest  in  his  Christian  work — '  seek- 
ing ^rs?^  the  kingdom  of  God.'  He  used  to  arrange  his 
business  so  as  to  devote,  now  and  then,  a  week-day  to 
visiting  individuals  and  families  at  Prompton,  or  at 
Indian  Orchai^d.  There  were  forty  years  or  more,  in 
which  he  was  engaged  in  his  several  parishes,  almost  as 
steadily  as  any  pastor  in  his." 

A  volume  might  be  written  upon  the  work  done  by 
him  before  1872,  which  date,  as  we  shall  see,  marks  an 
advance — the  beginning  of  a  new  era —  in  his  career. 
But  time  forbids  my  dwelling  longer  upon  this  import- 
ant period  of  his  life,  so  unique  and  suggestive. 

Mr.  Torrey  had  manied,  September  18th,  1833, 
Maiy  Chapman,  of  Dui'ham,  N.  Y.  Three  children 
were  born  to  them.  Two  of  them  died  in  infancy.  The 
thii^d — Jason— a  young  man  of  rare  promise,  and  pro- 
nounced Christian  character,  in  whom  the  heart  of  his 
father  was  bound  up,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine. 
Two  years  later,  August  4th,  1870,  when  absent  from 
home,  his  beloved  and  accomplished  wife,  who  had 
been  unable  fully  to  rally  after  the  death  of  Jason,  was 
also  taken.  These  mysterious  providences,  breaking  up 
a  happy  home,  which  might  have  embittered  the  life  of 
a  man  of  weaker  faith,  only  prepared   the  way  for  the 


10  IN  MEMORIAM. 

special  work  to  which  God  called  him  in  1872,    at  the 
age  of  sixty-four. 

After  the  re-union  of  the  Old  and  New  School 
Chui'ches,  in  1870,  the  Presbyteries  of  Luzerne,  Mont- 
rose, and  Susquehanna,  were  united  in  one — called 
the  Presbytery  of  Lackawanna.  A  large  number  of 
weak  churches  were  thus  grouped  together,  requiring 
peculiar  care  and  nurtm'e,  and  Mr.  Torrey  was  asked  to 
undertake  the  work  of  a  Presbyterial  missionary — a 
work  which  would  furnish  scope  for  unweaiying  pa- 
tience, sleepless  vigilance,  consummate  tact,  indomitable 
will,  unfaltering  faith,  and  Christ-like  love.  With  all 
the  ardor  of  youth  he  entered  upon  this  work,  never 
faltering  in  it  till  the  master  called  him  home.  If  suc- 
cess is  measured,  not  simply  by  visible  results,  but  by 
steadfastness  of  pm-pose,  purity  of  aim — the  earnest  ef- 
fort to  realize  a  high  ideal,  taking  as  the  motto  of  life, 
"  This  one  thing  I  do,"  then  Mr.  Torrey  was  grandly 
successful  in  his  missionary  work.  His  whole  soul  was 
absorbed  in  it.  The  weak  churches  were  always  in  his 
mind  and  on  his  heart.  Often,  after  we  had  puzzled 
together  over  some  difficult  question,  and  could  reach 
no  satisfactoiy  conclusion,  the  following  day  he  would 
tell  me  of  some  happy  solution  that  came  to  him  during 
the  night  watches.  Day  and  night  he  earned  these 
weak  churches  in  his  thought,  seeking  theii'  welfare, 
making  their  bm*dens  his  own ;  and  such  confidence  had 
the  Home  Missionary  Committee  of  the  Presbytery  in 
his  judgment,  that  oftentimes,  I  fear,  we  permitted  him 


BEV.  STEPHEN  TORRE Y.  H 

to  bear  burdens  alone,  that  might  have  been  lightened, 
had  we  taken  that  intelligent  interest  in  these  churches, 
that  claimed  the  sympathizing  thought  of  Mr.  Torrey 
always.  Who  ever  heard  him  pray,  save  at  a  funeral, 
when  he  failed  to  caiTy  to  God  in  earnest,  confident, 
touching  petition,  the  feeble  churches  and  distant  fields 
of  the  Presbytery  ?  He  supplied  chui'ches  with  minis- 
ters and  pastors.  He  secured  young  men  from  our 
seminaries  to  labor,  duiing  the  summer  vacations,  in 
fields  where,  even  with  the  help  of  the  Boai'd  of  Home 
Missions,  they  were  unable  to  support  men  throughout 
the  year.  He  went  into  distant  fields  as  a  peacemaker ; 
into  discouraged  fields  to  kindle  hope ;  into  dormant 
fields  to  stimulate  faith  and  zeal,  and  benevolence ;  urg- 
ing the  churches  to  reach  the  high  vantage  ground  of 
self-support.  Yet,  he  went  always  as  a  burden-bearer ; 
leading  rather  than  drimng ;  first  setting  the  example 
and  thereby  arousing  enthusiasm ;  and  the  record  he 
has  left  is  that  of  faithfulness,  unselfish  endeavor,  prac- 
tical sympathy  and  helpfuhiess,  and  no  place  in  the 
Presbyteiy  will  it  be  more  difficult  to  fill  than  that 
made  vacant  when  God  took  him  from  us. 

After  thirteen  years  of  this  vital  and  fruitful  ministr}'- 
as  a  licensed  preacher,  it  became  evident  to  the  Presby- 
tery that  the  value  of  his  work  would  be  increased  if, 
by  his  ordination,  he  were  qualified  to  administer  the 
sacraments  of  baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.  For  this 
reason,  as  well  as  in  recognition  of  his  past  services,  the 
Presbytery,    of  its   own   accord,    arranged   to  meet  at 


12  IN  MEMORIAM. 

Honesdale  on  Mr.  ToiTey's  seventy-seventh  birth-day, 
and  on  that  day  he  was  impressively  ordained  to  the 
gospel  ministry.  Though  he  had  reached  the  age  when 
most  men  lay  aside  the  heavier  burdens  of  life,  and, 
while  waiting  for  the  sunset,  enjoy  a  well-earned  rest, 
he  regarded  his  ordination  as  a  fresh  baptism  for  act- 
tive  service,  and  no  crusader  could  have  entered  more 
enthusiastically  upon  his  mission,  than  did  Mr.  Ton^ey, 
at  this  advanced  age,  looking  upon  it  as  a  call  from 
God  for  greater  consecration  to  this  special  work.  Had 
one  entered  this  church,  early  on  the  evening  of  Nov- 
ember 9th,  1885 — the  evening  of  his  solenm  ordin- 
ation— he  would  have  found  Mr.  Torrey  on  his  knees 
behind  the  sacred  desk,  the  tears  tnckling  down  his 
face,  as  he  sought  God's  blessing  upon  his  ministry. 
Tears  of  joy  no  doubt  they  were,  as  he  saw  fulfilled  the 
hopes  of  earlier  years.  At  the  same  time,  no  young 
man  had  a  keener  sense  of  personal  responsibility  as  he 
hega/n  the  work  of  a  Christian  minister,  than  had  Mr. 
Torrey,  when  standing  on  the  threshold  of  almost  four- 
score years.  This  place  is  sacred  because  of  all  the 
associations  of  the  past ;  but  more  so,  because  baptized 
with  the  tears  of  God's  aged  servant  as  he  buckles  on 
the  armor  and,  with  the  courage  of  youth,  goes  forth, 
"  counting  not  his  life  dear  unto  himself,  so  that  he 
might  finish  his  course  with  joy,  and  the  ministry 
which  he  had  received  from  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  testify 
the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God." 

As  we  come  into  closer  contact  with  tlie  life,    review 


REV.  STEPHEN  TORRE Y.  13 

the  work  and  read  the  character  of  Mr.  Torrey,  we  can- 
not marvel  that  his  life  was  a  grand  success.  It  could 
not  be  otherwise.  It  was  simply  the  result  of  causes 
and  influences  that  are  adapted  to  produce  a  character 
energized,  in  every  faculty,  by  truth  and  goodness. 
His  Chi'istian  life  began  at  the  Cross,  when,  as  a  boy 
of  twelve,  he  became,  not  a  "son  of  the  law,"  (as  the 
Hebrew  boy  did  at  the  age  of  twelve),  but  a  disciple 
of  Him  who  is  the  end  of  the  law  to  every  one  that  be- 
lieveth.  He  enthroned  Christ  as  his  Saviour  and  Lord. 
He  always  pitched  his  tent  in  sight  of  the  Cross ;  in 
which  he  gloried ;  by  which  the  world  was  crucified 
unto  him  and  he  unto  the  world.  He  was  always  loyal 
to  Him  who  had  bought  him  with  his  own  precious 
blood.  He  was  a  good  man,  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and 
faith,  and  because  he  was  genuinely.,  thoroughly  good., 
his  life,  which  was  only  the  expression — the  outward 
expression  of  the  inward  character — ^was  one  of  bless- 
ing. His  Christian  influence  was  felt  wherever  he  was, 
because  he  always  lived  in  the  presence  of  Christ — ^was 
united  to  Christ  as  the  branch  is  united  to  the  vine, 
and  loved  to  dwell  upon  the  intimate  relationship  be- 
tween Christ  and  the  believer. 

He  was  a  man  of  prayer — a  man  who  could  not  live 
without  prayer.  It  was  his  "vital  breath,"  his  "native 
air."  He  always  sought  God's  guidance  at  every  turn 
of  life.  Business  and  Christian  work  alike  received  the 
baptismal  touch  of  consecration;  because  both  were 
laid  before  God  in  prayer,  and  his  blessing  sought  upon 


14  IN  MEMORIAM. 

each.  In  his  room  a  tablet,  on  which  his  eye  rested  iii'st 
every  morning,  contained  these  words — the  key  to  his 
power  in  prayer:  "Abide  in  me,"  "  Ask  what  ye  will." 
He  asked  and  received,  because,  abiding  in  Christ,  he 
came  to  know  Christ  as  a  friend,  and  so  asked  for 
things  that  were  agreeable  to  his  will. 

He  always  "  talked  with  God."  He  was  strong  in 
faith,  giving  glory  to  God.  His  prayere  were  marked 
by  great  humility,  child-like  confidence,  intense  earnest- 
ness; and  all  who  listened  were  conscious  of  God's 
nearness,  and  so  strengthened  in  faith  and  life.  Mi'. 
ToiTey  believed  with  all  his  heart  in  God's  willingness 
to  answer  prayer,  and  so  took  his  burdens  to  God  and 
left  them  there.  A  few  months  since  he  gave  this  tes- 
timony to  God's  faithfulness  to  his  promises:  "The 
memory  of  the  past  is  precious,  affording  as  it  does  an 
occasion  of  devout  thanksgiving  to  God  for  all  his 
goodness  to  me  in  times  of  perplexity  and  intense  solic- 
itude to  know  what,  under  the  then  existing  circum- 
stances, the  Lord  would  have  me  do.  His  assurance, 
'  And,  lo !  I  am  with  you  always,'  is  unchanged  and 
unchangeable."  He  was  a  man  of  OTie  hook.  He  long 
ago  forgot  the  Latin  and  Greek  he  learned  at  Harford. 
When  examined  in  Presbyteiy,  he  could  answer  but 
few  questions  in  general  Church  history.  He  was  not 
acquainted  with  the  technical  statements  of  Mental 
Philosophy.  Of  Logic,  Rhetoric,  and  Belles  Lettres  he 
knew  little.  He  was  not  interested  in  the  cuiTent  news, 
save    as   it   took    on   itself  a   reformatory   or  religious 


EEV.  STEPHEN  TORREY.  15 

aspect.  But  he  was  possessed  of  an  extraordinary 
knowledge  of  the  Bible  and  Biblical  Theology.  No  one 
who  heard  his  examination  for  ordination  will  ever 
forget  the  profound  acquaintance  with  the  letter  and 
the  spirit  of  Scripture  he  evidenced,  or  the  clearness  of 
his  statements  of  doctrinal  belief — his  answers  usually 
being  given  in  the  very  language  of  Inspiration  ;  yet  so 
simple  that  a  child  could  understand  tbem.  He  stud- 
ied God's  Word  and  men — human  nature ;  its  needs, 
its  limitations.  Man  made  for  God :  God  revealed  to 
man — for  man.  The  Word — ^the  Word  made  flesh. 
Man  a  great  sinner :  Christ  a  great  Saviour,  longing 
unutterably  to  save  man.  How  logically  and  earnestly, 
with  what  spiritual  power  and  unction,  how  persua- 
sively he  dwelt  upon  these  and  kindi*ed  themes !  Strong 
men  were  impressed  by  his  intellectual,  as  well  as  his 
spiritual  grasp  of  the  truth  and  its  marvelous  adapt- 
ability to  every  occasion.  His  memory  was  so  stored 
with  Scriptural  truth,  and  the  powers  of  his  mind  un- 
der such  perfect  control,  that  he  was  always  prepared 
to  preach,  and  able,  with  marvellous  lucidity,  to  pre- 
sent the  very  heart-thoughts  of  God's  Word.  With  the 
Word  he  comforted  God's  tired,  troubled,  discouraged 
children,  strengthened  weak,  tempted  saints,  instructed 
the  awakened  sinner,  and  rebuked  the  infidel.  Always 
bright,  because  in  constant  use ;  always  effective  was 
the  Sword  of  the  Spirit,  the  Word  of  God,  in  his  hand. 
The  Word  was  the  man  of  his  counsel,  was  hidden  in  his 
heart,  as  well  as  stored  in  his  memory ;  was  a  lamp  un- 


16  IN  MEMORIAM. 

to  his  feet,  a  light  unto  his  path ;  to  it  he  gave  good 
heed,  as  unto  a  light  that  shineth  in  a  dark  place,  till 
the  day  dawned  and  the  day  star  arose  in  his  heart. 
German  rationalism,  materialistic  philosophy,  higher 
criticism  did  not  in  the  least  disturb  him.  Heaven  and 
earth  might  pass  av^ay ;  God's  word  would  not  pass 
away;  that  word  would  stand  forever.  He  built  upon 
the  rock  foundation;  for  he  built  upon  the  eternal 
Word  of  the  Eternal  God: — 

'*  Upon  the  Gospel's  sacred  page 
The  gathered  beams  of  ages  shine ; 

And,  as  it  hastens,  every  age 

But  makes  its  brightness  more  divine. 

"On  mightier  wing,  in  loftier  flight, 
From  year  to  year  does  Knowledge  soar ; 

And,  as  it  soars,  the  Gospel  light 
Becomes  effulgent  more  and  more. 

"More  glorious  still,  as  centuries  roll. 
New  region  blest,  new  powers  unfurled. 

Expanding  with  the  expanding  soul, 
Its  radiance  shall  o'erflow  the  world, — 

"Flow  to  restore,  but  not  destroy; 

As  when  the  cloudless  lamp  of  day 
Pours  out  its  floods  of  light  and  joy, 

And  sweeps  the  lingering  mist  away." 

He  cared  very  little  for  the  external  proofs  of  a  Di- 
vine Kevelation;  he  had  the  "  inner  vdtness "  to  the 
truth.  So  that  he  received  it,  "not  as  the  word  of  men, 
but,  as  it  is  in  tinith,  the  word  of  God,  which  e^ 
tuall/y  woi'heth  in  them  that  helievey 


REV.  STEPHEN  TORRE Y.  17 

His  tact  in  approaching  men  on  the  subject  of  relig- 
ion was  very  noticeable.  He  seemed  intuitively  to  know 
when  to  speak,  ^vhat  to  speak,  and  lioio  far  to  press  the 
question,  "  Why  are  you  not  a  Christian  ? "  He  never 
introduced  the  subject  in  such  a  way  as  to  embarrass 
one,  or  give  offence.  On  all  occasions,  however,  in  the 
most  natural  manner,  he  managed  to  speak  of  the  sub- 
ject that  was  foremost  in  his  thoughts.  He  might  stop 
a  stranger  on  the  way,  to  inquire  which  road  to  take  in 
order  to  reach  some  point,  and  though  the  interview 
would  last  but  a  few  moments,  would  manage  to  learn 
itt  which  direction  the  stranger  was  traveling — toward 
God,  or  away  from  him.  Communing  daily,  homiy  with 
Christ  he  could  but  give  expression  to  the  thought  of 
Christ — earnest  solicitude  for  the  welfare  of  men. 

His  was  not  a  gloomy  religious  experience,  because 
so  prominently  spiritual.  Far  from  it.  His  presence  al- 
ways enlivened  rather  than  depressed  society.  His  own 
soul  was  bathed  in  sunshine,  and  so  his  influence  was 
necessarily  cheering.  He  uniformly  looked  on  the  bright 
side,  because  of  his  unwavering  confidence  in  God,  and 
this  spii'it  of  ti*ust  was  contagious,  so  that  timid  ones, 
always  seeing  lions  in  the  way,  went  from  his  presence 
cheered  and  strengthened. 

His  life  was  one  of  incessant  activity.  He  never 
seemed  to  be  idle.  Possibly  his  best  work  was  done 
when,  through  an  accident,  he  was  laid  aside  for  sever- 
al years  from  active  prosecution  of  business.  More  time 
was  found  for  quiet  Chiistian  work — the  effort  to  lead 


18  IN  MEMO RI AM. 

souls,  one  by  one,  to  Christ.  He  showed  the  same  sin- 
gleness of  purpose,  whether  his  companion  were  a  man 
of  great  intelligence,  or  an  obscure  fellow  traveler.  He 
was  always  seekiiig  opportunity  to  point  souls  to  Christ, 
so  found  the  opportunity.  No  one  could  often  come  in 
contact  with  him  and  say  truthfully,  "  No  man  cares  for 
my  soul."  Others  might  neglect  this  supreme  mission 
of  the  Christian;  he  did  not.  Because  he  was  a  good 
man,  and  full  of  tlie  Holy  Ghost  and  faith,  therefore 
much  people  was  added  unto  the  Lord.  "  They  that  be 
wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  finnament,  and 
they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness  as  the  stars  for 
ever  and  ever."  No  "starless  crown"  is  that  which 
rests  upon  his  brow. 

He  led  souls  to  Christ,  but  was  not  satisfied  with 
that.  He  was  always  seeking  to  build  souls  up  in 
Christ.  Regeneration  was  only  the  heginning  of  a 
Christ-life  that  ought  steadily  to  grow  in  sweetness, 
beauty,  and  power.  This  he  insisted  on.  Did  we  hear 
of  a  revival  in  Antioch  ?  Like  Barnabas,  Mr.  ToiTey 
was  sent,  "who  when  he  came  and  had  seen  the  grace 
of  God  was  glad,  and  exhorted  them  all  that  with  pur- 
pose of  heart  they  would  cleave  unto  the  Lord." 

He  gave  himself,  his  time,  his  talents,  his  property 
to  the  Lord,  to  be  used  in  His  service,  for  the  building 
up  of  His  Kingdom.  He  preached  that,  when  it  was 
possible,  a  man  should  be  his  own  executor,  and  con- 
sistently practiced  what  he  preached.  In  the  last  few 
years  of  his  life  he  gave  away,   through  the  channels  of 


REV.  STEPHEN  TORRE Y.  19 

Christian  benevolence,   between  twenty  and  thirty  thou- 
sand dollars. 

Every  young  man,  just  from  the  seminary,  going  into 
one  of  the  destitute  fields  of  the  Presbytery,  found  him 
a  firm  friend,  a  wise  counselor,  a  true  yoke-fellow, 
ready  to  help  in  eveiy  way  in  his  power,  and  yet  en- 
couraging them  to  form  and  caiTy  out  their  o^vn  plans, 
seeking  to  develope  self-reliance.  Is  money  needed  to 
supplement  the  salary  of  the  student  who,  for  months, 
has  labored  in  a  barren  field,  or  to  repair  a  chui'ch, 
or  build  a  new  one,  or  remove  a  debt  that  stands 
in  the  way  of  usefulness  or  progress? — he  gives; 
gives  wisely,  judiciously,  always  with  the  intent  of 
stimulating  larger  benevolence  on  the  part  of  the 
church.  No  young  man  from  the  seminaiy  goes  back 
wdth  a  burdened  heart,  because  unpaid.  All  pledges 
are  more  than  redeemed,  all  promises  abundantly  ful- 
filled. He  was  not  always  imder  the  spell  of  that  woe 
pronounced  against  those  of  whom  all  men  speak  well. 
There  were  times  when  he  was  misunderstood  by  some. 
There  were  small  souls  who  thought  the  sala/ry  of  a 
Presbyterial  missionary  was  the  lode-stone  that  drew 
him  to  the  work.  But  that  salary,  over  and  over  again, 
went,  not  into  his  own  pocket,  but  to  encourage  de- 
pressed ones,  and  push  on  the  work  at  home  and 
abroad.  Now  to  a  mission  church ;  now  to  a  discour- 
aged pastor,  w^ho  gives  his  note  for  the  amount,  and 
afterwards  receives  it  back  cancelled,  though  not  one 
cent  has-  been  paid  on  it ;    now  to  educate  a  young  man 


20  IN  MEMORIAM. 

for  the  ministry ;  now  to  a  sti'uggling  little  college  in 
the  West ;  here,  there,  any  where  it  may  be  needed, 
with  the  one  desii'e  to  glorify  God,  he  gives.  Because 
he  gives,  God  gives  him  to  give ;  and  meanwhile  his 
character  is  ripening  for  eternity.  Moreover,  when  he 
was  at  home  for  a  Sabbath,  resting,  besides  attending 
church  morning  and  evening  without  fail,  he  must 
needs,  in  the  afternoon,  find  his  way  to  the  jail — that 
neglected  field.  Here  is  the  testimony  of  one  who 
knows  whereof  she  writes — ^the  wife  of  the  sheiifF  of 
the  county:  "I  have  been  feeling  ever  since  Mr.  Tor- 
rey's  death  that  I  wished  his  good  work  in  visiting 
the  jail  might  be  more  generally  known.  While  we 
lived  in  the  shei'ifP's  house  he  began  visiting  the  prison- 
ers on  Sunday  afternoons,  and  scarcely  ever  failed  when 
in  town.  He  always  won  the  regard  of  even  the  rough- 
est of  them.  After  prayer  and  a  short  talk,  Mr.  Tor- 
rey  would  go  from  one  cell  to  another  and  question 
them  kindly,  and  draw  them  on  to  talk  of  their  troub- 
les, and  then  administer  consolation.  My  husband 
generally  went  with  him,  and  used  often  to  speak  of 
his  tact  in  not  asking  a  single  question  which  could 
seem  to  be  prompted  by  curiosity,  or  be  unpleasant  for 
the  men  to  answer.  He  always  appeared  so  earnest  that 
they  soon  learned  to  trust  him,  and  those  who  were 
there  for  months  would  ask  after  him,  if  he  were  ab- 
sent for  two  or  three  Sundays.  In  our  household  the 
memory  of  Mr.  Torrey  will  always  be  cherished." 

"  Before  honor  is  humility."      His  was  the  Christ-like 


REV.  STEPHEN  TORREY.  21 

spirit,  and  so  he  won  the  children  to  him,  for  he  always 
had  a  smile  and  a  kind  word  for  them.  He  no  more 
truly  loved  to  preach  to  men  and  women  from  a  text 
in  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  than  to  talk  to  the  child- 
ren about  the  Good  Shepherd.  His  heart  was  young, 
even  when  four-score  years  had  told  their  experience.  I 
think  the  childi-en  whom  God  gave  to  and  took  from 
him  were  always  near  him.  He  loved  to  talk  about 
them,  and  I  know  he  joyfully  anticipated  the  time 
when  he  should  again  meet  them.  In  a  letter  received 
since  his  death,  the  wiiter  says:  "  On  one  occasion,  as  I 
entered  my  home,  I  found  Mr.  Torrey  telling  the  story 
of  Samuel  to  my  boy.  The  child,  about  eight  years  of 
age,  was  deeply  interested,  and  at  the  conclusion  he 
leaned  lovingly  against  the  shoulder  of  his  dear  old 
friend  and  said,  'Mr.  Torrey,  where  are  your  little 
boys?'  His  eyes  grew  dim  as  he  replied  that  'they 
were  waiting  for  him  in  another  home.' " 

While  he  and  I  were  waiting  together  for  a  train, 
only  a  week  or  two  before  his  death  ( and  already  that 
drowsiness  that  finally  overcame  him  was  taking  hold 
upon  him),  two  little  children  came,  several  times,  into 
the  station,  and  each  time  he  roused  himself  and  had 
some  pleasant  word  to  say.  When  the  sununons  came 
this  lover  of  little  children  had  not  far  to  go  before  he 
met  that  Saviour  who,  when  here  upon  the  earth,  took 
the  children  in  his  arms,  put  his  hands  upon  them  and 
blessed  them,  and  has  since  gathered  many  of  the  lambs 
vdth  his  arms  and  earned  them  in  his  bosom.     He  was 


22  IN  MEMORIAM. 

a  broad-minded,  well-rounded  man.    He  believed  heart- 
ily in  the  necessity   of   sustaining   and   enlarging  the 
work  in  his  own  church.     His  practical  encouragement 
first  suggested  to  us  the  possibillity  of  building  a  new 
chapel.       He  realized  the  necessity  of  taking  an  active 
interest  in  moral  refoi-m,    and  he,    more  than  any  other 
man  in  Honesdale,  urged  Sabbath  observance,  practical 
temperance  work    (his   last   addresss   was  for  prohibi- 
tion),   the  formation  of  a  Law  and  Order  Society,   and 
the  claims  of  the  Bible  cause.      He  took  an  intelligent 
interest  in  the  missionary  work  of  our  Presbytery,    and 
was  the  first  to  urge  Presbyterial  sustentation.     He  felt 
intensely  the  importance  of  our  Home  missionary  work 
in  the  Far  West.     More   than  one   vacation  had  been 
spent  by  him  in  visiting  the  frontier  settlements,    carry- 
ing cheer  and  sympathy  with  him,    and  the  Treasurer 
of  the  Board  of  Home  Missions   can  testify  to  his  sub- 
stantial  aid.       Christian    education    found   in   him   a 
constant  friend,    and  owes  his  memory  a  debt  of  grati- 
tude.    But  no  cause  aroused  his  enthusiasm,  or  kindled 
his  faith,    or  inspired  his  devotion  like  the  evangeliza- 
tion of  the  world.     He  had  visited  some  of  our  foreign 
missionary   fields,    and  was   always  interested   in  the 
latest  missionaiy   intelligence,    believing   mth   intense 
conviction  in  the  ultimate  tiiumph  of  Christ's  Kingdom 
in  the  earth,   and  the  responsibility  and  privilege  of  the 
individual  Christian  to  obey  the  ringing  command,  "  Go 
ye  into  all  the  world   and  preach   the  gospel  to  every 
creature."     What  sublime  confidence ;    what  hearty  con- 


REV.  STEPHEN  TORRET.  23 

secration;  what  genuine  love  breathed  through  his 
prayer,  '  Thy  kingdom  come  ! '  Believing  that  he  who 
gives  quickly  twice  gives,  he  was  always  the  tu'st  to  re- 
spond to  every  cry  for  help  from  the  Treasurer  of  the 
Board.  He  rests  now  from  his  labors,  and  his  works  do 
follow  him.  Eests!  No,  he  does  not  idly  rest;  he 
could  not.  Just  before  he  ceased  to  work  on  earth, 
when  the  first  strains  of  the  heavenly  music  fell  upon 
his  ear,  he  said  to  me,  "That  view  of  the  future  is  most 
delightful  to  me  in  which  we  are  told  '  Therefore  are 
they  before  the  throne  of  God  and  serve  hun  day  and 
night  in  his  temple.' "  He  who  served  through  a  long 
life  with  ever  increasing  zeal  is  still,  I  doubt  not,  in  the 
good  pm-pose  of  God,  permitted  to  labor  somewhere. 

On  Monday  morning,  June  17th,  1889,  after  a  brief 
illness,  God's  aged  servant  gently  fell  asleep."  He  walk- 
ed with  God;  was  not  for  God  took  him."  "Blessed 
are  the  dead  that  die  in  the  Lord."  His  influence  is  a 
precious  legacy  to  the  church ;  by  it  he  being  dead  yet 
speaketh.  His  character  will  be  more  clearly  under- 
stood as  we  come  to  know  more  truly  the  pm-e  spirit 
that  d^velt  in  this  tabernacle  of  clay,  and  read,  as  we 
may,  the  one  purpose  of  his  life — to  make  more  lus- 
trous the  name  of  Him  who  loved  us  and  gave  himself 
for  us,  that  name  which  is  above  every  name.  He  was 
loyal  to  Christ;  loyal  to  Christ's  Church;  loyal  to  duty; 
faithful  everywhere;  a  thoroughly  consecrated  man;  a 
gentle,  humble,  loving  disciple  of  Jesus,   made  meet  to 


24  IN  ME  MORI  A  M. 

be  partaker  of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light. 
^^And  we  demure  that  every  one  of  you  do  show  the  same 
diligence  to  the  full  assurance  of  hope  wnto  the  end ; 
that  ye  be  not  slothful^  hut  folloivers  of  them  who 
through  faith  and  patience  inherit  the  promises.'''  More 
faith-filled  will  our  lives  be  because  of  the  impress  left 
upon  us  by  this  man  of  God  whose  life  was  inspired  by 
the  spiiit  of  Jesus.  Farewell,  devoted  soldier  and  ser- 
vant of  God !  May  we  follow  thee,  as  thou  didst  fol- 
low Christ,  and,  too,  be  ready,  when  the  Master  calls 
us  home  I 


APPENDIX. 


The  Memorial  Service  was  closed  witli  a  hymn  of 
which  the  first  and  last  stanzas  are  here  given: 

"  O  for  the  death  of  those 

Who  slumber  in  the  Lord ! 
O,  be  like  theirs  my  last  repose, 

Like  theirs  my  last  reward ! " 
*  *  *  ♦ 

"With  us  their  names  shall  live 
Through  long  succeeding  years, 

Embalmed  with  all  our  hearts  can  give, 
Our  praises  and  our  tears," 

Thus,  mth  Sermon  and  Song,  the  church  with  which 
Mr.  Torrey  had  been,  not  only  connected,  but  to  which  ° 
he  had  "belonged,"  in  the  fullest  sense  of  that  old  Sax- 
•on  word,  for  more  than  sixty  years,  endeavored  to 
express  its  estimate  of  his  Christian  character  and  the 
value  of  his  Christian  work. 

Several  weeks  after  Mr.  Torrey  had  entered  upon  his 

25 


26  IN  MEMORIAM. 

rest,    there   appeared  in    The.    Church  at  Home    and 
Abroad,   the  following  item  by  Rev.  Dr.  Kendall,  Sen- 
ior Secretary  of  Home  Missions: —  "We  have  only  just 
heard  of  the  death  of  Stephen  Ton-ey,   at  Honesdale, 
Pa.      We  vronder  that   we  have  seen  nothing  in  the 
newspapers  about  it,    and   we  presume  something  will 
be  prepared  by  his   friends,   for  the  story  of  Stephen 
Torrey's  life  and  labors   in   his   presbytery  and  in  the 
work  of  home  missions  has  never  been  fully  told.     It  is 
a  fruitful  story  and  ought  to  be  well  told."    It  is  hoped 
that  the  printing  and  circulation  of  this  Memorial  will 
satisfy  this  desire,   which  has  expressed  itself,   not  only 
from  New- York,   but   also  from  other  great  centres  of 
Christian  work  and  influence,   as  Philadelphia,   Cincin- 
nati and  Chicago,  and  from  other  sources.      If  anybody 
cared  to  print  eulogies  of  Mr.  Torrey,    it  would  be  easy 
to  do  so  by   reproducing   the   tender   and   earnest  ad- 
dresses that  were  made  at  his  funeral  by  several  of  his 
co-presbyters.    But  more  touching  and  telling,  perhaps, 
than  the  testimony  of  pastor  and  presbyters  was  that 
of  prominent,    influential,    discriminating  business  men 
in  this  and  adjoining  counties,    who,    on  hearing  of  his 
death   would   exclaim,    ^^  He   certainly   magnified   the 
Christian  name,"  or  "  ^/s  religion  was  a  manifest  reality." 
A  gentleman  in  Scranton,  one  of  the  Superintendents 
of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Company,    who  was  asso- 
ciated with  Mr.  Torrey  for  many  years  in  the  service  of 
the  Company,   and  who  had  known  him  for  more  than 
half  a  century,  and  who  has  a  characteristically  fi'ee  and 


REV.  STEPHEN  TORREY.  27 

easv  way  of  saying  the  most  serious  things,  on  hearing 
of  Mr.  Torrey's  death,  said,  "When  he  comes  up  to  the 
gates,  St.  Peter  will  meet  him  and  say,  '  Come  right  in 
Uncle  Stephen,  We  have  been  expecting  you  for  a  long 
time,  and  one  of  the  high  seats  in  heaven  is  waiting  for 
you.' "  That  was  not  a  very  solemn,  but  was,  none  the 
less,  a  sincere  and  grapliic  way  of  expressing  a  feeling 
that  was  awakened  in  hundreds  of  minds  by  the  memo- 
ly  of  Mr.  ToiTey's  remarkable  life  of  guileless  fidelity 
and  conspicuous  usefulness. 

Among  Mr.  Torrey's  papers  is  an  outline  plan  of  a 
sennon,  which,  if  compactly  produced  here,  omitting 
the  numerous  Scriptui'e  references,  and  giving  only  the 
several  heads,  and  a  single  suggestion  under  each,  will 
both  furnish  a  sample  of  his  method  of  preaching,  and 
a  key  to  the  explanation  of  his  life. 

Text  :  Luke  xn,  31-34. 

31,  "Seek  ye  the  Kingdom  of  God." 

32,  "It  is  your  Father's  good  pleasure  to  give  you  the  King- 
dom." 

33,  "Sell  that  ye  have  and  give  alms." 

34,  "Where  your  treasure  is  there  will  your  heart  be." 

I.  The  Kingdom.  This  implies  that  God  is  supreme  Sovereign, 
claiming  a  boundless  sway  over  the  souls  of  men,  for  their  good. 

n.  Citizenship,  It  implies,  of  course,  an  oath  of  allegience, 
and  this  means,  not  only  loyalty,  but  a  patriotic  zeal  for  the  ex- 
tension of  the  Kingdom. 

III.  The  means.  The  preaching  of  the  gospel  is  the  recognized 
means  of  extending  the  Kingdom. 

IV.  The  duty.  Hence  the  duty  of  all  Christians  to  be  heralds, 
and  to  contribute  for   sending   the   messengers  of  the  Kingdom 


28  IN  MEMORIAM. 

throughout  the  earth,   and  for  furnishing  all  needed  accessories 
to  their  work,  such  as  houses  of  worship,  &c. 

V.  The  encouragement.  Fear  not,  little  flock,  it  is  your  Fath- 
er's good  pleasure  to  give  you  the  Kingdom." — i.  e.  However 
small  the  beginnings,  and  apparently  feeble  the  instrumentali- 
ties, the  ultimate  triumph  is  sure. 

VI.  The  method.  "Sell  that  ye  have  and  give  alms." — i.  e. 
Make  your  earthly  treasures  clearly  subordinate  to  the  Kingdom- 

Vn.  The  reward.  "A  treasure  in  the  heavens  that  faileth  not." 
Your  gold  and  silver  shall  be  transmuted  into  spiritual  and  ev- 
erlasting riches. 

VIJLL  The  reflex  influence.  He  that  seeks  the  Kingdom  of  God 
vrill  thereby  exalt  his  whole  nature.  "For  where  your  treasure 
is  there  will  your  heart  be  also." — i.  e.  Elevated  as  your  controll- 
ing purposes  are,  will  your  character  be. 
Any  person  acquainted  with  Mr.  Tbrrey's  manner  can 
imagine  with  what  glo^ving  ardor  he  would  fill  out  the 
several  divisions  of  this  comprehensive  plan.  And  for 
the  reason  that  it  was  all  as  clear  as  life  to  him.  He 
was  living  that  sermon  day  by  day,  and  year  after  year. 

Whether  in  his  daily  home  life,  or  in  his  Indian  Or- 
chard parish,  or  in  his  Presbyterial  loimds  in  the  coal 
regions  of  Pennsylvania,  or  on  his  several  trips  across 
the  continent,  among  the  Home  mission  fields  of  the 
vast  West,  or  among  the  Foreign  missionary  stations  of 
northern  Syria,  and  far  up  the  Nile  in  Egypt,  he  mani- 
fested a  ceaseless  feeling  of  personal  responsibility  to  be 
doing  something  for  the  "Kingdom"  which  was  there 
and  everywhere.  To  seek  the  Kingdom  of  God  was  the 
fervent  impulse  of  his  heart  and  the  steady  business  of 
his  life. 

The  cheerful   diligence   with   which   he  pursued  his 


REV.  STEPHEN  TORREY.  29 

work,  is  illustrated  by  the  statements  of  a  brother  min- 
ister who  writes  thus:  "After  Mr.  Torrey  had  been 
several  years  in  the  ministiy,  he  was  wanted,  at  one 
time,  by  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  men,  for  a  fortnight, 
to  do  a  delicate  piece  of  surveying,  the  conditions  of 
which  he  understood  better  than  any  body  else.  About 
Thursday  of  the  second  week  he  was  vniting  me  on 
some  Presbyterial  business,  and  added  that  he  ^vas  feel- 
ing a  good  deal  used  up.  I  replied  very  promptly  and 
said,  '  No  wonder  you  are  used  up ;  you  are  attempting 
impossibilities.  Don't  you  remember  the  Master  said. 
Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  Mammon  ? ' 

"The  next  Monday  he  wrote  me  saying,  'The  Mast- 
er's rules  evidently  do  not  apply  to  my  case.  I  did  feel 
much  run  down  the  last  of  the  week,  but  took  a  good 
dose  of  preaching  three  times  and  attending  one  Sun- 
day-school yesterday,  and  have  come  out  all  right  this 
momins:.' " 

While  he  was  always  a  working  Christian,  it  would 
be  a  mistake,  as  has  been  said  in  the  sermon,  to  suppose 
he  was  only  that.  He  was  genial  in  society.  He  was 
always  ready  to  be  playful  with  children  and  playful 
with  friends.  He  was  a  hearty  laugher,  enjoyed  a  joke, 
was  ready  at  repartee,  giving  as  good  as  he  received. 
He  was  a  happy  man.  His  busiest  industry  never  made 
him  morose,  or  even  unsociable.  His  spirit  of  unbend- 
ing faithfulness  was  sweetened  by  a  spirit  of  gentleness 
and  love. 

While  the  text,  "Seek  ye  the  Kingdom  of  God,"  fur- 


30  IN  MEMORIAM. 

nishes  tlie  key  to  his  character  as  a  worher^  the  key  to 
his  entire  character  is  found,  perhaps,  in  those  words 
applied  to  him  at  the  very  close  of  the  Sermon: — "He 
followed  Christ." 

Herein,  after  all,  do  we  find  the  measure  of  his 
worth  and  the  Divine  approval  of  his  character. 

St.  Paul  was  giving  to  certain  Christians  the  encour- 
agement of  his  praise,  when  he  said,  "  Forasmuch  as  ye 
are  manifestly  declared  to  be  the  epistle  of  Christ, 
written,  not  with  ink,  but  with  the  Spirit  of  the  living 
God,  not  in  tables  of  stone,  but  in  iieshly  tables  of  the 
heart,  known  and  read  of  all  men." 

That  man  is  unmistakably  right  whose  life  brings 
you  a  constant  message  from  Christ;  across  the  front 
of  whose  daily  living  the  Spirit  of  God  has  written  the 
lineaments  of  the  Saviour's  character ;  the  pureness  and 
rectitude  of  whose  spirit  and  pm-poses  are  always  draw- 
ing you  toward  Christ. 

Such  a  man  was  Mr.  Toirey,  as  it  seemed  to  his 
brethren.  In  his  business  life,  in  his  social  life,  fi'om 
morning  to  night,  from  Monday  morning  to  Sunday 
night,  from  New- Year's  day  until  the  31st  of  Decem- 
ber, and  from  the  time  he  was  twelve  years  old  till  he 
gathered  up  his  feet  to  die,  and  was  carried  by  angels 
to  Abraham's  bosom,  he  seemed  to  be  swayed,  controll- 
ed, guided,  by  such  principles,  aims,  purposes,  as  could 
only  flow  into  his  life  from  the  Spirit  and  teachings  of 
Jesus. 

That  combination   of  firmness  and  gentleness  in  him 


RJiJV.  STEPHEN  TORRE Y.  31 

which  made  his  character  so  substantial  and  yet  so  lov- 
able, so  strong  and  yet  so  sweet,  was  the  result  of  receiv- 
ing and  working  into  the  actual  current  of  his  life,  from 
first  to  last,  that  "wisdom  which  cometh  from  above, 
and  which  is  first  pure,  then  peaceable,  gentle,  easy 
to  be  entreated,  full  of  mercy  and  good  fruits,  without 
partiality  and  without  hypocracy." 

Such  a  life  is  worth  living.  Such  an  example  it  is 
safe  to  follow.  The  abiding  influence  of  the  memory  of 
such  a  spirit  is  a  precious  legacy,  for  which  we  cannot 
be  too  thankful. 


^  4  n^T"^^  j^®^  ^®  ^^  gates  were  opened  to  let 
-L^  in  the  men,  I  looked  after  them,  and  be- 
hold the  city  shone  like  the  sun ;  the  sti'eets  also  were 
paved  with  gold ;  and  in  them  walked  many  men,  with 
crowns  on  theii'  heads,  palms  in  their  hands,  and  gold- 
en harps  to  sing  praises  withal. 

"  There  were  also  those  that  had  wings,  and  they  an- 
swered one  another  without  intermission,  singing,  Holy, 
holy,  holy  is  the  Lord. 

"And  after  that  they  shut  up  the  gates,  which,  when 
I  had  seen,  I  wished. myself  among  them." 


I 


^ 


Princeton  Theological  Sem.nsry-Speer  Library 


1    1012  01045  3282 


